Wakefulness—enlightened, complete, perfect in wisdom and compassion—is our natural state, not something outside ourselves that we need to attain or become, says Gaylon Ferguson. But it's also true that some effort is required to get in touch with it, and that effort is what spiritual practice is about. A cultural anthropologist and religious scholar as well as an acharya, or senior teacher, in the Shambhala International Buddhist community, Ferguson highlights two essential aspects of the path of awakening: learning to trust that we are already naturally awake, and committing to meditation practice. He begins by showing how to understand natural wakefulness in ourselves, then he teaches the fundamentals of meditation, with exercises and guided contemplations. Along the way, he shares selections from question-and-answer sessions with students to provide practical advice for manifesting awareness in daily life.

"This welcoming book offers a wise, warm-hearted, and practical understanding of the awakened heart. Reading it is like talking with your best dharma friend, who helps you to shift from being lost in thought to spacious and kind attention."—Jack Kornfield